[Day-clinic treatment in geropsychiatry (author's transl)]

In a retrospective study the author reports on the results of the first four years in the geropsychiatric day clinic of the general hospital "Ochsenzoll" in Hamburg. After a survey of the literature on the history and indication of day-clinic therapy for aged people, the author describes that in a chiefly psychotherapeutic and sociotherapeutic setting patients are treated who had formerly belonged to the category of inpatients, as well as patients without previous psychiatric experience. The main tasks to be performed in a day-clinic attached to a large hospital, are rehabilitation and prevention. These tasks cover different groups of patients which are characterized in the article. Pointers to factors which make it difficult to transfer some patients to day care results from the consideration which must be given to yet another group of patients who, although they participated in the therapeutic programme, could eventually not be transferred to the day hospital. A separate section deals with patients having psychogenic and organic disturbances, and experiences are communicated from day-clinic practice while referring to data taken from literature. It is finally underlined that the value of day-clinic therapy cannot be assessed in terms of money or economy.